The US U19 men's basketball team was narrowed down to the final 12 players yesterday and our very own Justin Bibbs did not make the cut (Source). However, Buzz retweeted Director of Student-Athlete Development, Steve Thomas, with this tweet:
Big shout out to @JustinBibbs10 for making TeamUSA U19 team. I see you lefty!!! #insidestep @TeamCoachBuzz pic.twitter.com/HWriV7z391— Steve Thomas (@S_Thoma5) June 19, 2015
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So I was curious if someone had some more information. Curiously and conveniently, Isaiah Briscoe of Kentucky suffered a concussion in practice last night and will supposedly be replaced by Bibbs.
Uk freshman isaiah briscoe suffered a concussion at u19 practice thusday— Jerry Tipton (@JerryTipton) June 19, 2015
Justin bibbs of virginia tech to replace briscoe on usa u19 team— Jerry Tipton (@JerryTipton) June 19, 2015
There still isn't any official press release on the US U19 site but it would be nice to see Justin Bibbs get some more training in and be a part of a really cool program. The circumstances are unfortunate for Briscoe, and hopefully he recovers quickly, but something tells me he'll have plenty of opportunities to be recognized in the future.
Update: Official press release from USAB here and from VT here.
Comments
Just a tad ironic he gets his shot because of a concussion to someone else, but I'll take it. Hope Bricoe recovers fully and can protect his dome from here on out. Concussions can be nasty. At any rate, here's hoping Bibbs tears it up!
Yea not the ideal scenario but I viewed it as he did really well and he just missed the cut the first time.
The concussion taketh away and the concussion giveth!
Some times things happen for a reason (not that I wish that concussion scenario on anyone - I do not). Example, if the Cavaliers don't have the massive injuries they have, Delavadova (sp) doesn't get to show what kind of player he is. So, Bibbs gets his opportunity. Hopefully this helps him grow as a player so he can help VT more in the future.
I hope Briscoe recovers fully as well.
These kind of camps and practices are great for development, congrats to Bibbs! Opportunities like this to practice and learn from other coaches against top competition, and work in a different offensive and defensive system really force a player to grow and be more versatile. Not to mention the exposure is fantastic for him.
Update: Here is the official VT press release on Bibbs. Also updated the article to reflect press releases from USAB.
It can't be anything but good for his development. I am expecting big things from Justin this year.
Out of everyone on the team last year, I saw the most potential out of Bibbs (at least pre-injury) I hope we see some of that potential reached this year.
The circumstances should be the footnote, not the announcement.
The announcement should be a celebration that he made the team!
Congrats to Justin Bibbs! What a great opportunity!
I'm extremely proud of him and hope he has a great experience but the article was posted as news was being released this morning so the content reflects the information at the time of posting.
Does anyone know if these games are televised/ best method to watch the games. I was searching the interweb and didn't find much besides game times this Saturday and Sunday at 6PM, I assume that is 11AM here.
Go Bibbs!
In case any of you missed it, the United States beat Croatia 79-71 in OT to win the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship. So our very own Justin Bibbs won a gold medal! Congratulations Justin! GO USA and GO HOKIES!!!